“Out of position tonight I think he’s produced one of the best debut performances that I’ve seen for sure, certainly as a defender.”

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Gary Smith, Marvell Wynne

Coach Smith talks about Omar’s goal, the “new” Chivas USA, and his “incredible…belief” in our team.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Chivas USA, Gary Smith, Omar Cummings

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Fox Soccer, KWGN, television

Continuing his scorched earth policy in Toronto, Preki has sent yet another talented player packing. This time, the Rapids are on the receiving end. In Wynne we get a player with international caps and incredible pace.

The downside: we sent the man with the most minutes and matches since 2008, Nick LaBrocca along with our third round 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft pick. There’s no doubt Nick was a great guy and well liked among the fans, however I like this trade on several levels

• There’s little doubt newly-acquired Larentowicz is the better midfielder. While Nick was dependable, he lacked the size and tenacity to be a holding/defensive midfielder. He lacked the technical ability to be a creative presence in the attack
• Wynne brings a Dani Alves (for Barcelona) or Philip Lamm (for Germany) attack from the back along the wings. When we lost our wingers last year, we had no pace or creativity up the edge of the pitch, and Wynne brings that

Welcome to the team Marvell!

Nick, thanks for all you did for the club these last couple of years. I wish you the best.

Here’s the full press release

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Thursday, March 25, 2010) – The Colorado Rapids have acquired defender Marvell Wynne in a trade with Toronto FC, the club announced today.

In exchange, Colorado send midfielder Nick LaBrocca and their third round 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft pick to Toronto.

Wynne joins the Rapids adding his lightning pace to the club’s backline. Over the last two seasons, he has developed into more of an offensive threat scoring his first professional goals in 2008 and registering a career high five assists with TFC last season. Wynne has three caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team and was a member of the Men’s Olympic Team that competed in Beijing in 2008. The former first overall selection in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by New York has played in 96 career MLS games, 90 as a starter, and recorded two goals and 13 assists.

Wynne will join the team in Los Angeles ahead of their 2010 season opener against Chivas USA tomorrow, Friday, March 26 at 8:30 pm MT.

LaBrocca leaves Colorado having played in more games and in more minutes than any other Rapids player since 2008. He appeared in 61 games with 57 starts and scored four goals for Colorado after originally being drafted by the Rapids with the 35th overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.

This is the third trade Colorado and Toronto have completed in the last three months. On January 21, the Rapids acquired allocation money from Toronto in exchange for midfielder Jacob Peterson and on February 10 the Rapids acquired TFC’s third round 2011 MLS SuperDraft pick in exchange for defender Ty Harden.

Transaction
MLS
Colorado Rapids – Acquired defender Marvell Wynne from Toronto FC in exchange for midfielder Nick LaBrocca and Colorado’s third round 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft pick.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Dani Alves, Jeff Larentowicz, Marvell Wynne, Nick LaBrocca, Philipp Lamm, Preki, Toronto FC

With scars now permanently left from the accident that produced two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, a broken eye socket and a broken forehead along with a fractured face, ruptured bladder and brain bleeding, Davies now nears a miraculous recovery that would rank as arguably one of the greatest in American sports history.

Continue reading this incredible interview at  Yanks Abroad – European Soccer, Made in America ::..

International Soccer, US National Team Charlie Davies

Pat Noonan’s career with the Rapids is over, as he suffered the dreaded disgrace of being “waived.” From the Rapids Website

Noonan appeared in 17 games with nine starts and scored two goals for the Rapids last season after being acquired by Colorado in a trade with the Columbus Crew on June 15, 2009.

Read the official press release

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Columbus Crew, MLS SuperDraft, Pat Noonan

I arrived here on a wet evening at the end of June 2009. ‘Denver doesn’t get much rainfall’, I was told. So you can imagine my mood when on landing, having travelled 15 hours and feeling full of excitement at the prospect of a new city, stepping off the plane to good old Scottish drizzle. My heart sunk.

Continue to: Jamie Smith: How did I end up playing in America? | Football | STV Sport.

Rapids News and Analysis Jamie Smith

Sucks that this dude is pretty much spot on…

For Americans, soccer is just not a sport you play hooky for. What American boy hasn’t played sick to watch a World Series baseball game a few times in his life? I feigned many a flu to watch Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants pitch against Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. But I can confidently predict that classrooms will be full, and workplace absenteeism will be at normal levels, when the United States plays its first round matches in South Africa this June.

via I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor – The World minus the U.S. Cup – NYTimes.com.

I really hope the US puts in a good showing and captures the US attention, extending some of the headway made with the Confederations cup. I also hope something awesome happens, like Landon Donovan head butting Rooney in the chest. Though Rooney would probably proceed to kick his arse.

International Soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS), US National Team baseball, Confederations Cup, Landon Donovan, Wayne Rooney

I believe the future of MLS should be to become like Eredivisie or Ligue 1: a quality, competitive, second-tier league that develops young talent and sells it’s best to the big spenders in the EPL and La Liga. Attempting to become one of those big spenders will leaveus, just like the first great American soccer experiment, penniless and league-less.

That is why the Beckham experiment and Landycakes matters. Before the “Beckham-bashing” begins, let’s just remember Goldenballs has the MLS on HuffPost. Ok. He and Donovan are the poster boys for the MLS, and this injury situation affects both of their place in our league:

With Donovan’s excellent play in the Premier League and now with Beckham’s injury, Donovan’s price just went up significantly. My guess is the league will now be hesitant to sell him unless an offer comes in that knocks their socks off. This will require a big spending club, such as Chelsea which is rumored to be interested, to make an offer.

There is however, another big mystery – does Landon have an out clause in his new contract?

via Max Bergmann on Huffington Post

For the future of the USMNT, because I’m also an Everton fan, but also because this is where I believe the MLS should go…Donovan needs to go back to the Premier League in the summer.

International Soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team

For weeks, the MLS Players Union has insisted that it was unified enough to initiate a work stoppage. On Thursday, the players moved a step closer to proving their point, with multiple sources indicating that they voted 383-2 to go on strike if a new collective bargaining agreement between the union and MLS has not been agreed upon by 12:01 a.m. ET on March 23.

Continue reading at: MLS players unified behind possibility of strike – MLS – ESPN Soccernet.

Major League Soccer (MLS) collective bargaining agreement, MLS Players Union, strike